Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Minister and Senator Stephen Conroy and Mike Quicgly from NBNCo announced their first three year rollout plan, which is expected to cover 3.5 million homes and businesses.

The long awaiting rollout plan is likely to make some happy and others upset. The feeling amongst some in the industry is that the areas announced in this first three year rollout cover areas, which already have, by ADSL broadband standards, adequate coverage and multiple suppliers, which obviously keeps costs to the consumer down. Some believe the rollout should really be taking into consideration filling in the gaps where broadband is unavailable or where it is often slow and unreliable.

At the press conference, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said with regards to the number of homes and businesses being covered in the rollout would be “More than 1 million in NSW alone. Around 700,000 premises in Victoria, 680,000 in Queensland, 480,000 in Western Australia, 330,000 in South Australia, 65,000 in the Northern Territory and over 200,000 in Tasmania.”

Some pundits have noted that the three year plan is not when NBNCo will have these areas completed, instead committing to starting the rollout in these areas within three years. That means if you’re on the list and are closer to the end of the rollout schedule, you may have to wait an additional 12 months before you’ll actually get connected to the National Broadband Network.\

To find if your home or business is covered in the three year rollout plan, visit NBNCo’s website.